A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses regarding spine surgery and more specifically relates to surgical procedures and an inserter used to position an implant, and perhaps to deploy the implant, within a vertebral space.
B. Description of the Related Art
The volume of spinal surgeries to treat degenerative disc and facet disease has steadily increased over the past decade, fueled by population demographics and advancements in diagnostic and instrumentation adjuncts. Improvements in intraoperative radiological imaging and surgical technique have generated a great deal of interest in applying minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques to spinal applications. As in other surgical subspecialties, it is hoped such minimally invasive techniques applied to spinal surgery will result in less soft tissue trauma, less operative blood loss, reduced operative time, faster recovery periods and lower costs.
Known spinal surgical techniques, though generally working well for their intended purposes, have been adopted from traditional open surgical (non-MIS) techniques. As a result, known spinal surgical methods, instrumentation and interbody implants have limitations. One limitation is that the physical components are relatively large and bulky. This reduces surgeon visualization of the surgical site. Another limitation of known spinal surgical methods is that known surgical tools and implants are cumbersome and difficult to maneuver within the limited surgical space available. The limitations of current instrumentation in MIS spine surgery are noted particularly with regards to interbody fusion surgery.
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for overcoming these limitations by providing a surgical inserter that allows for minimally invasive spinal surgery and that provides for precise movement, placement and deployment of an implant into the vertebral space.